Diamonds In the Rough
by SimpleHorizon
Summary: Annabeth and Percy are from entirely different worlds. She's popular and currently with Luke Castellan and Percy is just trying to get out of Luke's shadow. But will Percy pull Annabeth away from Luke's grasp or will he be destined to not get the girl? Read on to find out, typical Goode High Performing Arts story. Annabeth/Luke, Percabeth, and more! Reviews are appreciated
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

 **Disclaimer:** Quick disclaimer, I don't own PJO or any of the characters but I do own the plot

 **Percy POV**

I was pushed into a locker as my books sprawled onto the floor.

"Watch where you're walking Jackson." Luke Castellan called as he and his cronies stalked past with smug smirks across their faces.

I reached down to pick up my books and out of the corner of my eye I could see a cute blonde girl reach down to help me. She looked up to hand me my books and we locked eyes and I realized that it was Annabeth Chase, the most attractive and smartest girl in the entire school.

"Thanks Annabeth, I appreciate the help." I remarked coldly. Annabeth was after all Luke's gorgeous girlfriend, I didn't need him giving me more shit over flirting with his girl.

I turned to walk away but Annabeth grabbed my arm. I felt an electric jolt run from her fingertips up my arm and throughout the rest of my body. It felt as though I had touched the metal prongs of a chord while trying to plug it into an outlet. It sent me into a frenzy and alerted me to everything around me, like an energy high.

I took in my surroundings. The school hallway was crowded with tons of Goode High's students. Annabeth stood directly to my left, her shining blonde hair in a beautifully done braid down her back. She drew my attention as an angel would in pitch black darkness. Beautiful, strong, and yet temporary. I knew her attention wouldn't last; I might as well make the most of it.

"Percy," She said "Listen, I'm sorry about Luke. He can be a real douche sometimes."

"Yeah," I said "I can see that. Just do me a favor, keep him out of my face and everything will be great."

"Percy, don't be this way. Luke doesn't mean to be like that. He's actually really nice, you just need to get on his good side." She told me.

"Oh I'm sure, and how exactly would I do that?" I asked "By getting on my knees and kissing his ass? Not gonna happen. Did you ever just maybe give the thought the time of day and realize that you're dating an asshat?"

Hurt flashed across her face but I didn't care, did I? I mean, how could I? She was the property of my biggest tormentor.

"I gotta get to class," I told her "See you Chase."

With that I turned and walked away leaving the stunning Annabeth Chase to her thoughts.


	2. Prologue Continued

**Prologue Continued**

 **Author Note:** Hey everyone, its **Simple**. I'm back as you can see. If any of you are readers from my old stories I thank you for remaining loyal to me as an author and awaiting my return. I also would like to thank my new readers. You guys are the best and I'm glad that you could join the squad.

Now about the story. I know the first part of the prologue was brief (and this one will be too) but I'm trying to keep the plot line open. I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this yet so if you have any ideas hmu. I was thinking of making this a Goode High Performing Arts story. If you like the idea comment/review. Anyway that's all from me. Enjoy the chapter! **-Simple**

 **Annabeth POV**

Percy Jackson…

The name brings along mixed feelings. He's cute, boy is he cute in that rugged sort of skateboarder way. Yet I have Luke. And after what Percy said about Luke shouldn't I be pulling away from him?

Yet everything in my being is pulling me toward him. When we touched I swear I felt a connection there. Like the zap you sometimes get when you rub your feet on the carpet and then touch someone, only stronger by tenfold. He transferred here last year, a little after Luke and I got together and our relationship hasn't been the same since. Luke has felt intimidated by Percy's presence so he's felt the need to put him down at every turn in the hopes of unnerving him. I don't support his motives or actions.

Back to Percy, I feel as though it's wrong of me to think about him when I already have a guy in my life but it feels so right. If that make sense…

By God I'm not usually this confused, trust me. With a 4.5 GPA I like to think of myself as smart. It's surprising how easy the AP courses are at Goode High. My favorite class by far would be a toss-up between Greek and Architecture. Being a junior really opens up the door for classes you can take.

After the run in with Percy I ran to catch up with Luke and his buddies. They were making their way towards the lunch room. The halls were just as crowded as they were a second earlier. They were talking and hadn't noticed my presence. I heard a snippet of their conversation from behind them.

"That Jackson kid's a piece of shit. As we were walking away I swear I saw him talking with your girl; flirting more or less." Said Luke's right hand man Ethan Nakamura.

"Oh, was he now?" Asked Luke.

"Yeah, I saw the fucker. Flirting with her, had her laughing and everything. He was definitely flirting with her." Said Ethan.

The snake had the nerve to lie! Our conversation had been anything if not funny. I'll show him who matters more to Luke.

"Cool, I'll settle this with him after school." stated Luke matter of factly right before I interrupted.

"Hey baby, glad I caught up with you. I just had a quick chat with Percy about Greek. You know the class you're failing?" That definitely caught his attention. He hated when people called attention to his mistakes. "Anyway I heard Ethan mistakenly say that Percy had been flirting with me. I just wanted to set the record straight so you wouldn't start anything over something that's entirely false."

Luke responded with "Yeah, okay, like I'm going to believe your shit Annabeth. Who do you think I'd believe first, you or my best friend?"

That definitely hit home and I said "I thought I was your best friend?"

"No, that's not true in the slightest. You're good for one thing Annabeth and you know exactly what that is." He said raking my body over with his intense gaze. Ethan had the nerve to laugh.

Turning back to his _buddy_ Ethan Luke said "Today after school I'll settle this with Jackson."

Turning to look back over his shoulder at me Luke said "Stay out of this Annie, if you know what's good for you." I remembered the last time I hadn't listened to Luke when he was in one of his moods. The bruise lasted for a solid month.

And with that Luke, Ethan, and Chris Rodriguez stalked away.


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **Author's Note:** Yo, what's good everyone? **Simple's** back with another new chapter (the first) and I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to try my best to upload weekly. Probably on Fridays if at all possible. None of you have given me your opinions on whether this should be a Goode High Performing Arts story so I've went off on my own accord and made it one. It'll most likely be like your typical Performing Arts High story. Expect more drama, music, and of course Percy and the gang. As always if you have any ideas for new chapters please hmu. Well, for now that's all from me. This has been **Simple**. Enjoy the chapter!

 **-Simple**

 **Annabeth POV**

Luke was going to fight Percy Jackson.

That right there in and of itself is mind-boggling. Fighting over me no less. Maybe it shows that Luke still does care about me, even though he does have the facts wrong. But that's probably just wishful thinking.

I wonder at times why I'm still with Luke. I mean, after all he does hit me. When we were younger Luke was different somehow... He'd always been there for me, even when everyone was bullying me for being intelligent. Something has drastically changed between then and now. If I had to guess, it would be that his father left him alone with his mother. He can't stand her at the times when she goes into one of her fits. She goes bat-shit crazy and just starts throwing things and hitting Luke. Luke doesn't hit back because he knows he'd hurt her worse than she's hurting him. So he takes it out on me...

I guess what I'm getting at is that I stay with Luke out of pity.

As the bell rang for lunch, the first thought that ran into my mind was that Percy was in danger. I couldn't let him get beat by the best fighter in the school when in all reality, he didn't even do anything to Luke. So during lunch, I slipped away from my table to find him.

I found him with his group of friends, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Grover Underwood, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, and Grover's girlfriend Juniper.

Unsurprisingly, they weren't exactly pleased to see me. Rachel's face immediately dropped, Frank spit his lunch out of his mouth and Grover stopped mid sentence to stare at me. Percy turned around to find me standing right behind him.

"Hey, what's up Annabeth?" He asked me, lacking all of the iciness his voice had held earlier.

Now standing in front of him I found it was hard to make the words come out of my mouth, especially when all of his friends were staring at me and Rachel was giving me a cold glare.

Rachel hated me, that much was obvious. I heard every chance she got she was all over Percy. They're kind of a thing.

And no, I wasn't jealous that this pitiful redhead had Percy all to herself.

Okay, if I'm being honest there was definitely some jealousy there. It didn't make sense but I could tell I had feelings for this cute boy from Manhattan. Anyways, that was currently irrelevant, I came here on a mission.

"Yeah, Percy, we need to talk." Cue the next visual dagger thrown at me from Rachel. I turned back to Percy. "Preferably alone."

"Anything you need to say to Percy you can say in front of us all." Said Rachel.

Of course she had to go and be like that. I was getting a little irritated but Percy seemed to have noticed and stood up.

"Listen," He said to Rachel in particular. "Annabeth just wants to talk, it's not a big deal so don't worry, I'll be right back." With that he walked past me, expecting me to follow his lead.

We exited the cafeteria and made our way down one of the hallways. We walked for awhile with a comfortable silence hanging on the air.

Now that I had Percy to myself I wasn't entirely sure what to say. I mean, would he get angry if I would be to bring up Luke? When I was ready to finally say something Percy finally broke the silence.

"Alright Annabeth, what's up? What did you need me for? I'm sure it wasn't to take me on a lovely little stroll through the school corridors."He stated with a brief smile. "If this has something to do with earlier I want to apologize…" He trailed off and looked over at me. I held his gaze and he gave me his infamous half smile, that drove all the girls crazy, with his shockingly beautiful sea green eyes sparkling.

"I didn't mean to be so cold Annabeth, I was just pissed. Not at you, but at Luke. Maybe you're right, maybe I need to get on his good side and then he won't treat me like dirt." He paused for the second time. "You're awfully quiet Annabeth, what are you thinking?"

"Percy, he wants to fight you after school today." I said truthfully.

"Wait, what? Why?" He asked totally bewildered.

"He thought you were flirting with me this morning. He wants to 'mark his territory'." I air quoted with my fingers.

Heat rose to Percy's cheeks. "Well did you tell him that quite the opposite was happening?"

"Of course I did," I said defensively. "He just didn't believe me."

"Why didn't he believe you Annabeth? You're his girlfriend aren't you? Or do your words carry no weight with him?" Percy said.

Sighing, I told him the truth. "Let's just say that his best friend's words mean more to him than mine do…"

He caught my eyes for the second time. From his eyes I could tell that he was going where his mind was leading him. I could practically hear the unspoken question, ' _then why are you with him_?' And even though deep down I felt the exact same way, I chose to stick up for Luke anyways.

"I didn't mean.." I started.

"I know what you meant." He replied shortly.

There he was again going all cold. What was it with this boy? It was almost like he was jealous. I laughed internally at the ludicrous thought. Percy jealous, HA!

It was crazy how easily Percy could read me after having only known me for such a short time. He read me like an open book.

Our conversation seemed to have come to a screeching halt after I tried to defend Luke. I wanted to salvage it but didn't see how I could.

The bell finally rang stopping us in our trek through the school hallways. He stood facing me with his deep brown hair and his sea green eyes shining, I didn't know what to say… If I should tell him to kick Luke's ass for me or to let him win. I was so confused that I just hugged him. All of my emotions were a rage but internally I knew I needed him to show Luke up. I couldn't bear the thought of Percy getting beaten to a pulp by the asshole who I happened to be chained to.

Turning to face his ear I whispered "Just, don't lose Percy, for me."

And with that I broke our embrace, walked back to the cafeteria to collect my things and made my way to Architecture.


	4. Chapter 2: The Fight

**Chapter 2: The Fight**

 **Author's Note:** Hey, what's good everyone? It's **Simple** back here with another new chapter coming at you. I promised to upload every Friday and as long as my school work doesn't get in the way of that I will be doing exactly that. Anywho, I truly appreciated all the feedback I got from last chapter, you guys are the best, honestly. And one last thing, I would really like to thank SeaweedOwlBrain and MattyICE for all of their help on this story. She's by far the best beta reader you could ask for and MattyICE is the bestest friend you could have. Now who's ready for a dope ass fight scene? I sure as hell am so let's get to it.

 **-Simple**

 **Percy POV**

What the hell just happened? Did Annabeth just tell me to beat her boyfriend in our fight? I watched as she sauntered away with a swing to her hips that's most likely illegal in some states. Damn she was F-I-N-E FINE. I stood there for a few moments, totally awestruck.

What was I doing? Letting her distract me from the fight wasn't a great idea, especially if I wanted to beat Luke to win her over.

Yet there was another problem: Rachel. I knew she was into me, but it really showed when I returned to the cafeteria. She was waiting there for me, hands on her hips.

I grabbed my stuff and looked over at her.

"What?" I asked after noticing her glowering at me.

"Do you realize you were gone with Annabeth for ten, maybe more, minutes? Why'd you abandon me with them?" She indicated the now empty table and to all of our friends who had left. Or, at least, my friends who'd went onto class. The way she said ' _them_ ' made me cringe inwardly. It made it quite obvious that she only hung around us for one reason: me.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize we had been gone that long Rachel." I apologized.

"Hmph," She made that sound whenever someone really ticked her off. "Well what did you even talk about?" She asked, the coldness still slipping into her voice.

"Umm, we just talked about the fight that's happening today…" I trailed off hoping she wouldn't broach further.

She jumped onto the statement like a hungry piranha would a piece of meat. "What fight, who's fighting who?"

I forced out a laugh at something that wasn't all that funny. "Down girl," I said. "It's nothing, just a little spat I have to resolve with Luke. No big deal."

"That sounds like a big deal to me." She said. The look of excitement in her eyes told me everything I needed to know. She couldn't _wait_ for a fight between jock Luke and me and knowing her, she'd try her best to get one. For now, I wasn't sold there had to be a fight but if Luke wasn't willing to hear me out then it will definitely come to a brawl.

I brushed off Rachel's comment and glanced at the clock in the cafeteria. It showed I was already late to my next class by 5 minutes.

"Great," I said sighing. "We're late again Rachel, we better get to class, like, now."

She looked up at me with a glint to her eyes. "Remember that time we were late to Chem?" She asked.

"Yes, I remember Rachel all too well." I stated, forcing a smile as I continued walking to class.

She smiled mischievously as she latched onto my arm. "That had to be the hottest makeout session, like, ever."

"I can't agree more." I replied.

I remember it like it was yesterday. Somehow, Rachel and I had ended up making out in the girls bathroom. Don't ask me how, it just sort of happened. Not a process I hope to repeat in the future. Lets just say she wasn't the greatest kisser, almost like she was trying to shove her tongue down your throat. And yes, you can say at times, that I'm sort of a bad boy. But this fight with Luke didn't seem necessary and if I could avoid bloodshed then I would.

I finally reached the door to my class and went to slip away but couldn't before Rachel pulled me into her tight embrace. Her hug didn't make the butterflies awaken in my stomach like when Annabeth had done it.

She let me go after a second and I scooted into Mr. Bublé's Music class. He almost didn't notice me, but of course, my luck was slim.

"Ah," Bublé started, "Mr. Jackson has finally decided to join us." The class laughed. _Great_ , I thought to myself, _this is going to be a great rest of the day._

- _Scene Break_ -

I was in study hall when a piece of crumpled paper hit me in the back of the head. I turned around to see Luke glaring at me. He pointed at me, then at him and punched his fist into his palm. It was kind of cliché, but I immediately got the gesture. There was no way that I could avoid this fight.

Cursing, I watched as he wrote something down, folded it into a paper airplane and threw it my way. I caught the thing and turned to see if the teacher had noticed. It seemed she was just as oblivious as always.

I unfolded it and it read:

 _Behind the school, 3:00 sharp_.

And to think I had a chance of avoiding the fight.

- _Scene Break_ -

The bell rang dismissing school for the day. I looked at the time, it was 2:45, I had 15 minutes before the fight. I whipped out my phone and hit up the squad. I typed up the text _Meet me in the cafeteria, it's urgent_ and hit send. I knew they'd get the memo.

I went to my locker on my way to the cafeteria to gather my things. The hallways were eerily quiet, almost as if everyone were already gathering behind the school preparing for the fight. I guess Rachel was right, this was going to be a big deal.

I made it to the cafeteria without a hitch and caught sight of my friends at our usual table. Don't ask me why but I had decided to include Rachel into the group, at least for now.

"What's going on Percy?" Grover asked me as I approached the table.

"I already told you Grover, Percy is going to be fighting Luke." Said Rachel.

"Who said I believed you Dare? For all I know you were lying to try and start drama like usual."

"As if," She replied. "I don't start drama, I end it and if you want a piece of me…"

"Alright, knock it off." I said, already regretting my decision to include her. "I already have to deal with one fight today and I'd rather not deal with another one."

"Right," Said Grover. "Sorry Perce."

"So what's the fight about anyways?" Asked Frank, speaking up for the first time.

"Annabeth." Came my response.

Rachel's face dropped right away. You could tell she had something against Annabeth, though I didn't know what it was. I had an idea it just hadn't been confirmed yet.

"Oh boy," Grover said. "This doesn't sound like it's going to go well."

"Yep, I couldn't agree more." Hazel stated. "I don't think you'll be able to avoid this fight Percy."

"Well what happened with Annabeth that pissed Luke off to the point that he feels he needs to defend his turf?" Asked Frank.

"Look," I replied "Currently, that's unimportant. We just need to get to the back of the school in the next 3 minutes. I brought you all here for moral support and so I wouldn't be outnumbered. You don't have to come if you don't want to but I don't have time to play 50 questions right now."

They all immediately began to protest.

"Alright," I said. "That's what I thought. So let's haul ass and get back there."

A few minutes later we were out of the back doors and into the alleyway behind the school. There were no cameras watching the alleyway so it was a perfect place to host a fight. I would know, I'd been to quite a few back here.

We approached the large crowd and I instantly spotted Luke with his goons and Annabeth, standing off to the side. Everyone had their phones out ready to record the fight in the hopes of getting it on WorldStar, in one of their popular fight compilation videos.

"You're late." Were the first words out of Luke's mouth.

"I thought you had the time," I responded, dropping my stuff on the outside of the forming circle before walking into the middle. "Considering you're the one who wanted the fight in the first place."

"You were flirting with my girl!" He said as he pointed towards Annabeth. His pals all nodded their agreement.

"You're taking what was said way out of context Luke." I said trying to diffuse the situation. "Flirting was the farthest from what was happening earlier today."

"That's bullshit and you know it Jackson! You're just a pussy, scared he's about to get his ass handed to him."

"Owwwwww!" Said the crowd. Luke was trying to turn them in his favor, a smart tactic, if I do say so myself. Annabeth was one of the few people I noticed who wasn't impressed by her boyfriend's antics.

"I'm doubtful." I remarked. "You sure you want to do this Castellan?"

Then someone yelled, "Start the fight already!" and I was shoved forward toward Luke, right into the jaws of the beast.

The first thought to race into my mind was _Who in the hell shoved me?_ I knew it had to have been one of the people behind me which I counted all of whom as friends.

The more important thought came a little late as Luke uppercut my jaw. It hurt like a bitch and I stumbled back, head spinning.

I fell toward the crowd but someone caught me and pushed me back toward the middle of the tight ring that had formed.

Luke had almost KOed me in one punch and that alone was scary, so I knew I had to get my fists up to protect my head.

He eyed me like a Lion stalking his prey. He seemed aware whereas I was just trying to stay standing.

He threw a light right jab at me to get me off balance and he succeeded. I dodged right into his incoming left fist.

I took his bone-jarring punch to my right cheek, effectively knocking me almost to the ground for the second time.

I caught myself to stand-up to a hail of blows to my abdomen. They came quicker than a flash of lightning and the ensuing thunder. After about 7 good hits I got my guard down low enough for him to come at my face. He hit me directly in the nose, breaking it on impact, following with a spray of blood in every direction. It wasn't a pretty sight. I heard the crowd go "Ouch!" through the pain. Tears began to form uncontrollably in my eyes as the bridge of my nose went into the back of my head.

Then something unexpected happened. Annabeth jumped in-between us in an attempt to try and stop Luke's pummeling of my oh so beautiful face.

"Stop it," Yelled Annabeth. "Can't you see when you've already won?!"

And then Luke did something even more unexpected, he hit her. No, he didn't push her or anything like that, he full on slapped Annabeth across the face about as hard as he had been punching me.

I'm not entirely sure what did it but something about that truly set me off. Maybe it was the fact that she had been defending me or maybe it was just the sight of watching her body fall to the ground from the force of the slap, but something inside me was awakened. A deep burning hatred that even I can't describe.

I fell on Luke like you wouldn't believe.

I don't remember all the details but in my anger I had Luke hospitalized. Frank had to pull me off of Luke's bent over form as he tried to protect himself against my rain of blows.

In my fury I broke free of Frank's grasp but Grover tackled me to the ground.

"You won Percy, you won." He said.

I didn't feel like I had won. I finally came to my senses and saw the bloodied mess that I'd made of Luke. It was really bad. It made me sick to my stomach that I had been capable of such an atrocity.

"Oh my God Percy, what have you done?!" Annabeth asked me incredulously.

"I… I defended you…" I said. "What was I supposed to do? Not protect you?"

"You almost killed him! Do you even realize that?!" She asked me with a horrified expression displayed across her face.

"I… I didn't mean to…" I said. "It went out of control."

"You disgust me Percy." And with that Annabeth walked away towards Luke's crumpled form.

Rachel showed up at my side a moment later. "You were AMAZING Percy! Amazing! I can't believe how badly you whooped his ass. It was so impressive."

She started to stroke my bicep, succeeding in making me all the more uncomfortable. The fact that Rachel was impressed only brought the feelings about what I had done to Luke even lower.

A minute or two later an ambulance and the police arrived, coming over to interview me. _This is going to be a long night_ I thought to myself.


	5. Chapter 3: Aftermath

**Chapter 3: Aftermath**

 **Author's Note:** **Simple's** back everyone. I know you're all having a mental breakdown right now because of this fact but calm down, please, and no, I don't do autographs. But seriously though, I'm glad to be back with another chapter. If I uploaded Friday, then I'll be doing my best to stick to that schedule. As always a special thanks to SeaweedOwlBrain, my Co-Author. She's literally a lifesaver. So, who wants to get to this chapter that's complete fire? That's what I thought.

- **Simple**

 **Percy POV**

There I was, detained in the local jail. Honestly, this wasn't how I imagined my first time behind bars would go. I thought it would be something cooler, not getting caught beating the crap out of some high school douchebag. But what was really on my mind, was Annabeth. Her words, ringing over and over in my mind, like a constant annoying beeping that I just couldn't stop, no matter how hard I tried. _"You disgust me Percy."_ Over. And over. And over. My foot was tapping the floor a mile a minute, waiting for my mother to show up. To probably yell at me. Or worse, take me silently to the car while she looked disapprovingly my way the whole ride. I probably wouldn't be able to take it.

I wanted to scream, shout and tell the entire world my side of the story but no one was willing to hear it. The cops just saw Luke's bloodied form and went straight to the conclusion that I kicked his ass for the thrill of it.

The cell was unsurprisingly cold for a jail. Thank the Lord I didn't have a cellmate. I couldn't even imagine what would happen if I dropped the soap in here… I shivered at the thought. Were the stories in the movies true?

A few minutes later when my mom arrived, I could tell just from the look she gave me she didn't want to talk. I've only had that icy glare once before, and that was because I got an F in my middle school Algebra class. Then again, you could kind of expect that from a below average student with dyslexia. But back to the serious problem at hand. She signed the papers and got me released. The officers told me that I was lucky I was underage, otherwise my mom wouldn't have been able to save my 'punk ass'. I was just dreading having to face Luke or Annabeth on my return to school following my out of school suspension.. Of course, I had the weekend and a few days, but I knew the time would fly by, just as it always does.

When we exited the compound and got into our SUV, I buckled my seatbelt and waited for something, _anything,_ a scream or a lecture or just a single word to come from her mouth. Ask me why. Question my actions. _Something._

Yet mom was quick to jump onto my case. "Why'd you do it Percy?" You could hear the disappointment dripping into her tone. "Do I even want to hear your lame excuse as to why you beat that poor boy to a pulp?"

"He bitch-slapped a girl during our fight mom, that's why." I replied.

"Watch your language young man," She said. A moment of silence. "Oh, I see, so you were already fighting him to begin with?" She shook her head at me. My mom would be the one to take what I said and use it against me.

"Okay, so, yes, I was fighting him to begin with." I sighed. "But if it means anything to you, I didn't want to."

"It doesn't." She replied shortly, starting the car. We rode the entire way home in silence. It was quite unnerving but I held my ground. I was innocent, at least in my eyes.

We got home and she was quick to leave me alone in the car. I followed her into our apartment to hear crying from her room. My heart sank. I always felt like the World's Biggest Loser when I made her cry.

I made myself a quick sandwich and then went to my room. I had a bunch of messages from people I didn't know, some congratulating me on my win, others threatening my life. I ignored all of them, heading to the group chat with my friends and I.

 **Grover:** _Dude, what the hell happened?! You got taken away in a police car?!_

 **Rachel:** _He seriously kicked Luke's ass, you should have been there! It was so exciting!_

 **Grover:** _I was there Dare, if you didn't remember but I on the other hand don't approve of Percy's actions. You can't fight hate with hate._

 **Rachel:** _Oh well, your loss :/_

 **Juniper:** _We shouldn't be condoning violence_

 **Frank:** __ _I second that_

 **Hazel:** _If Percy didn't have to fight him, he wouldn't have! You shouldn't be criticizing one of your best friends!_

 **Juniper:** _Seriously, there's no need to fight guys_

 **Rachel:** __ _I still thought it was awesome_

 **Grover:** _Of course you would, you eat, sleep, and breathe drama._

 **Rachel:** _What's that supposed to mean?!_

 _Someone is typing…_

 **Hazel:** _That's enough!_

 **Me:** _Guys, I'm fine, thanks for asking. But if you don't mind, I really just want to go to sleep in peace_

Considering it was already midnight, I needed to get some sleep. I was tired and worn out from my long day of fighting, both physically and emotionally. My phone began buzzing like crazy but I clicked it off and put it on the charger.

- _Scene Break_ -

I awoke the next morning and turned on my phone. I had 26 notifications from a shit ton of numbers. Some of which I had no idea who they belonged to. Some of the more interesting ones read as follows:

 **(717) 769-6969:** _You're dead Jackson! You hear me, fucking dead!_

I knew that this number had to belong to either Ethan Nakamura, Chris Rodriguez, or possibly even Luke himself. Then, of course, there were the fanboys:

 **(717) 209-7383:** _Dude best fight ever! You kicked Luke's ass. A sincere thank you from all the nerds of Goode High._

 **(717) 322-5360:** _Nice job kicking Luke's ass! You must feel great rn Percy after showing Luke who's boss! Bravo bro, props from all of us in house Apollo._

I definitely didn't feel like a hero after my trip to the county jail. They could all congratulate me if they wanted, it wouldn't change the way I felt. Which was empty, entirely empty inside.

And then the rest were from the group chat except for one last one, the most interesting of the group:

 **(717) 820-5837:** _Hey Percy, I think we need to talk. Meet me at the Starbucks located by the Mall at 12. Btw, it's Annabeth…_

My heart began to pound out of my chest. I didn't know why, but it seemed Annabeth had that effect on me.

I shot back the text: _Alright, see you soon._

I was quick to jump out of bed at that point to get ready to meet her at the coffee shop, considering it was already 11 in the morning. I showered, changed clothes and grabbed my car keys to take my sea green pickup to hit Starbucks. I opened the rusty old door, jumped in and started her up.

The only two positives about my pickup was that she got decent gas mileage and had a badass sound system. I installed a bluetooth radio previously that enabled me to connect my phone and play my tunes.

As soon as the car started, my music picked up where I left off. The song _Nightmares by All Time Low_ finished and then began _Mess by Real Friends_. The lyrics fit in perfectly with my life. It was kind of pathetic. I began to sing along to the chorus.

 _ **Mess**_ _by_ _ **Real Friends**_

( **Author's Note** : I do not own these songs or any of the others that will be found throughout this story but do love them so if you haven't heard them yet, as you most likely haven't, I advise you check them out)

 **Chorus:**

 _Last year I was a trainwreck, now I'm just a mess_

 _I'm letting go so I don't lose myself_

 _I'm starting to be where I need to be_

 _I'm starting to be where I need to be_

As I said, the likeness was somewhat pathetic. Five minutes later, I arrived at the Starbucks and pulled in. I was quick to notice Annabeth's sleek silver Porsche already pulled into the lot. She must of already been inside. I jumped out of my car and walked towards the entrance.

I walked in to see Annabeth seated near the back of the shop. She took my breath away. I caught her wearing a low cut gray halter top that matched perfectly with her stormy eyes and skin tight jeans. She had on her usual amount of makeup, which wasn't much. As I said, she was as stunning as ever, in the most casual way possible.

She nodded in front of her, indicating that was where she wanted me to sit.I approached her and took the seat, graciously, mind you, and looked over at my hostess. I smiled uneasily, unsure of what to say or do. After a few moments of silence, she spoke.

"Look Percy, I invited you here to apologize for my reaction... I thought about yesterday all of last night and I came to the conclusion that you did what you did to defend me. I mean, why else would you have kicked the shit out of him like you had? It was the only logical conclusion that I could come to…" She paused again to take a breath and run her fingers through her long blonde hair. She looked up into my eyes. Her beautiful stormy gray ones were a rage.

"But that wasn't the real reason I invited you here Percy. I wanted to talk about, us, whatever us is…"

"Oh," I said speaking for the first time, caught a little off guard."What about us did you wish to discuss?" I asked entirely and utterly intrigued.

"There…" But she was cut off as the bell to the shop rung, signaling that someone had walked in. I turned around to find the last person I expected to see walk in.

And then, everything went straight to hell.


	6. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Author's Note:** What's good everyone? Simple's back as always with another new chapter for you all to enjoy. I hope you like it. But before I go can I ask for one teeny tiny favor? I want to reach 25 reviews by the end of this chapter. I know I'm asking a lot but if everyone who reads this latest chapter reviews then we'll destroy my goal. Please help a brother out! Flame away if you must but do me the solid of reviewing. Anyways, that's all from me. Enjoy as always! Special thanks to SeaweedOwlBrain, my favorite Co-Author that I've ever had the pleasure of working with.

 **Annabeth POV**

Percy and I looked over at the entrance to the shop. I immediately recognized the attractive redhead who's always hanging all over Percy.

 _Rachel_.

The name in and of itself almost made me puke. So what, did Percy invite her here to fuck with me or was her arriving just a coincidence? Either way the answers needed to start coming fast or shit was about to hit the fan.

 **Percy POV**

 _Oh fucking shit!_ Was the first thought to race into my mind. _Rachel freaking Dare, again_! Just from the look on Annabeth's face I knew I was totally screwed no matter what I would say. Her glare could have made the stoutest of hearts quake. I was scared shitless, trust me.

Rachel was quick to notice my presence, almost like she was drawn to me or some weird shit. Then she saw Annabeth. I swear, the glares being cast across the room would have made any mere man tremble in his boots.

Rachel sauntered over towards us, a smile now covering up the immense hate just displayed across her face that she had for Annabeth.

"Hey Percy, fancy meeting you here." Rachel said to me, without even acknowledging Annabeth's presence. "So why are you taking out the trash?" 

Annabeth's face lit up at Rachel's snide comment. I felt the need to defend Annabeth.

"You know she can hear you right?" I asked Rachel.

"Well I heard blondes were not only dumb but also deaf so I wasn't too sure." She responded.

 _Ouch!_ Shots had definitely been fired.

Annabeth stood up and looked Rachel right in the eyes.

"You know Rachel, you're a real bitch." Annabeth started, "No wonder Percy was just telling me why you two aren't a thing."

Now it was Rachel's turn for her cheeks to change to the color of her hair.

I'm glad there was a table between these two, otherwise they would have been strangling each other. Everyone in the coffee shop was staring at us and the girls didn't even seem to give two shits, which succeeded in only heightening the intensity of the situation. I definitely needed to diffuse this mess and fast, otherwise this was going to turn into a giant shitstorm. The last thing I needed was to be in the middle of another fight, especially not a cat fight.

Rachel was quick to answer Annabeth's rap of her reputation with me, "Yeah, well at least I'm not the one staying in an abusive relationship with a complete asshole!"

That stopped me dead in my tracks. I hadn't expected to hear that come out Rachel's mouth in a million years. I looked at Annabeth and just from the expression on her face I could read two things. One, that she hadn't expected that either and two, that it was true. The hurt that flashed briefly across her beautiful features told me everything I needed to know. Someone had seen or said something, that much was obvious.

You could hear the "Oohs" from around the shop.

And that's when I finally decided to step-in, unwilling to let this continue. "Come on Annabeth, let's get out of here." I held out my hand to her.

Annabeth speedily rejected it. "No thanks Percy. I'm not going anywhere else with you."

For the second time I felt myself thinking _Ouch!_ That one hit home for sure.

"And as I was saying Percy, before we were rudely interrupted, was that there isn't and never will be an us. I'm with Luke and you need to accept that." And on that note Annabeth stormed out of the little cafe.

I was on hot pursuit following her out the door but not before scowling at Rachel for her actions.

"Annabeth, please wait, don't leave…"

She spun around, tears streaming from her eyes. "Why should I Percy? You all but threw me under the bus, allowing her to walk all over me. What excuse do you have for me this time?"

To be honest, I had none left. There was no plausible excuse for my actions. "Annabeth," I said. "I'm sorry I let her say the things she did but I can't control Rachel, she's her own person. Besides, you're being entirely too irrational."

And that's when I realized I had most definitely said the wrong thing. Tears still running her face reddened and she screamed, "I'm being irrational?! Last I checked you were the one who beat the shit out of a defenseless guy!"

"That's not fair," I stated. "I did that for you."

"No," She said. "You didn't do that for me, you did it in my name. Huge difference. Now if you'll excuse me Percy I got to go." 

Wiping tears from her eyes she opened the door to her Porsche. I grabbed her wrist in a desperate attempt to remedy my actions.

"Please don't do this Annabeth." I pleaded.

She wrenched her wrist from my grasp. "You made your decision Percy, now I'm making mine." With that she jumped into her car, backed out, and sped off.

It's funny, with Annabeth going as she had I felt a hole start to form in my heart. I found it odd considering I barely knew the blonde head turner who happened to be a California native. Who knew I'd fall for a California girl.

I turned back to the shop, dreading having to return to face Rachel. I walked back towards an inevitable discussion.


	7. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Author's Note:** Yo yo yo, Simple's back with another bangin' chapter. Hope you enjoy it. I just wanted to say that I'm extremely sorry that I haven't updated in months. I got sidetracked with this confusing thing we call life but I'm back now, hopefully for good. I'm hoping to post again this weekend so stay tuned for the next chapter. Anywho, let's get to it…

 **Annabeth POV**

 _What the hell just happened?_ I wondered as I sped away from Starbucks and Percy. My life was getting more confusing by the minute. I had a feeling that someone knew that Luke had hit me in the past but the fact that Rachel, the Queen of Drama knew was really, really bad. Then again it happened at the fight yesterday. I'm sure the entire school saw that.

And now Percy knew. Jeez, why was I allowing for all this crap to happen?

I made it to a red light and rested my head against the steering wheel as I pondered the events of the last 20 minutes.

Not only did Percy know but I also had pushed him away, one of the last few people I have felt a connection with as of late. My words repeated in my head: _there isn't and never will be an us_. I cursed silently at my stupidity. I cared about him, yet here I was, isolating myself from him. Hell, it might have just been a face that I was trying to keep in front of Rachel in that moment. I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe Percy was right, maybe I was just being irrational because of how flustered Rachel had me.

Then I remembered that he watched as Rachel humiliated me in front of the entire coffee shop and then his lame excuse thereafter. _I can't control Rachel, she's her own person_. Those words alone spurned my anger into hyperdrive and I hit the gas hard as the light turned green. I needed to let off some steam and driving fast seemed to be the perfect solution.

So I decided right then and there that I wouldn't be forgiving Percy anytime soon. He didn't deserve it. If he truly cared about me he wouldn't have let Rachel verbally abuse me.

I raced home in my sleek Porsche and parked in our huge driveway upon arrival. I guess you could say my house is ostentatious. Designed by my beautiful mother, the famous architect Athena Chase. I wanted to be exactly like her and was already in the process of fulfilling that dream. I'd taken multiple internships at her workplace over the course of a few summers and had done extremely well.

Back to the house, it was sprawling. It covered a lot of land and everything was beautifully setup. We had a water fountain in the center of the pathway leading up to the door and trimmed hedges lining the sides. The house was ornate, designed to look Greek, with hand crafted pillars lining the walls of the building, supporting the roof. The window frames held regal glasswork, meant to stop you dead in your tracks. As I said, ostentatious, but then again, that is Mom for you.

I made my way up the path to the door. I unlocked it and entered my home. The inside, unlike the outside was much more modern, with shining hardwood floors and a fantastic chandelier. There was a circular stairwell in the entrance room that led up to the second floor. The kitchen was on your left as you entered our home and the dining and living rooms on the right.

I heard a chopping sound and a humming sound coming from the kitchen. I recognized the voice as my mother's.

We live alone. Just her and I against the world. It's not a bad life but when we aren't getting along it can be lonely. I wish sometimes that Dad didn't live in San Francisco with his new wife but you can't change the past. Sometimes, you just gotta move on.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and entered the kitchen.

"Hey mom," I said upon making my entrance. "What are you up to?"

"Not much," She responded, not looking at my face as she continued chopping some celery. "Just preparing some things for dinner."

"Oh, cool."

"Where have you been this morning? I was up and saw that you had already left." She questioned.

"Went to meet a frie… someone. It's not important." And it wasn't. At least I tried to tell myself it wasn't.

My mother looked up at my face for the first time and noticed instantaneously that I had a rough morning. She put her knife down and looked at me with a sincere expression. "What happened Annabeth?"

My lower lip started to quiver and I felt like a little girl all over again. Mom made her way over to me and wrapped me in her warm embrace. Tears continued to flow from my eyes uncontested. My mom pulled out of our embrace and wiped the tears from under my eyes.

She looked into my eyes and asked "What happened sweetheart?"

The truth of the events of the last 48 hours poured out of me like rainwater rushing out of a gutter. I told her everything, to the smallest detail, though I did leave out the portion of info about Luke abusing me. She nodded at the right times and held me close to her when I couldn't continue. I eventually got all of it out and she looked at me seriously.

"What do you plan on doing about this boy Percy, Annabeth? Personally, I'd cut ties and avoid him. He doesn't seem like a great guy and besides, you already have Luke. And in case you forgot he did just beat up Luke." She concluded.

Internally I knew that cutting ties with Percy didn't seem like the correct decision but what else was there to do? He'd betrayed my trust. At least that was the reason I kept telling myself.

And mom was right; I did have Luke for now even though he all but hated me. I showed up at his bedside last night in the hospital and the conversation went something like this…

 **Me** : "Hey baby, how are you feeling?"  
 **Luke** : "The fuck are you doing here Annabeth?"

 **Me** : "I came to see you, obviously."

 **Luke** : "Who ever said I wanted to see you?"

Yeah, he could be a real douche at times, injured or not. I wonder why he acts like a tough guy all the time but I guess he's just trying to save face, as we all do at times. But he comes off as an arrogant prick consistently. I just feel he should be more authentic around me. I mean, we are dating after all.

I left him right after the conclusion of our conversation. I hopped into my car and drove home and went straight to sleep, no dinner or anything. I had decided to avoid the unfolding events until the next morning when I texted Percy bright and early that I wanted to meet at Starbucks. You know the rest.

"I don't know about Luke anymore Mom." I stated honestly. "Things aren't exactly working between us..."

"Well, why aren't they? He's a good guy Annabeth. You just need to give him a chance."

And that statement all but summed up Mom's thoughts and our recent arguments. I would tell her that I wasn't thinking things were working between Luke and I and she'd tell me I was being stupid. _Luke's a good guy_ she'd say. And then she'd tell me my thoughts were irrational.

Why in the hell does everyone think I'm irrational? I'm not. I have a brain you know. Common sense and all that jazz. People just need to see me for what I am, an intelligent teenage girl with emotions, just like everyone else. It was starting to piss me off. Back to the matter at hand…

"I have been giving him a chance mom. I just don't think things are going to workout between us." I responded.

"Well why wouldn't they Annabeth?" She asked. And she had me there. I could either be honest with her and tell her that Luke has been abusing me or I could continue to lie through my teeth as I have been doing.

I chose the latter.

"Because we're always arguing mom, always. About the stupidest things and he's never willing to see my point of view."

She smiled and said "My love, that happens in all young relationships. Sometimes you just need to let it blow off your shoulders and realize that there is a reason your with him. The relationship I had with your father was the same in college after we had met." Thinking about it now, I didn't really see what reason I could possibly want to stay with Luke when he's always acting like an ass and hitting me, or better yet, using me for that quote ' _one thing I'm good for_ '. And I highly doubt mom understood the feeling of being used by anyone. She was too strong-willed.

"Mom, after he recovers I'm breaking up with him." I stated matter-of-factly.

She stiffened, seeing that I wouldn't be following her advice. "Well what will you be doing about this boy Percy Annabeth? Don't boy hop Annabeth Chase. I mean it when I say I won't be having people calling my daughter a slut."

To say I was shocked would be a tremendous understatement for the feelings I had for what my mother had just said. Anger, shock, and an intense sadness poured out of me all at once. I'm not entirely sure how it showed on my face but I stormed out of the room a moment later. Mom called my name but I was out the door in a flash and in my car, crying all over again. I decided I needed someone to talk with and I knew just the girl who could help.


	8. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Author's Note:** Here's the next chapter, just as promised :)

- **Simple**

 **Percy POV**

I re-entered the Starbucks to a cast of glances from the people who had been enjoying their drinks peacefully before the altercation went down. I saw Rachel standing in line preparing to order a drink, acting as if she hadn't played a part in the situation at all. I ran my fingers through my thick brown hair and took a deep breath and approached her. This could get ugly quick if I wasn't cautious about what I said.

I reached her and whispered into her ear "What the hell was that for Rachel?"

She turned around and smiled like a child caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. "She was asking for it Percy. Besides, I thought we had agreed that you wouldn't be going on dates with losers like that anymore."

I was disgusted and annoyed that she just continued to make shit up that was as far from the truth as it got.

"For one Rachel, it wasn't a date. It was supposed to be just two…" I paused to think of what to refer to Annabeth as. "Acquaintances meeting to discuss some things. Nothing more, nothing less. Besides, I don't remember agreeing not to date anyone, whether they're a loser or not. You gotta get it through your thick skull Rachel that you and I currently aren't a thing and the more childish you act the less likely it is to happen."

Hurt flashed through her eyes and she frowned. "Okay Percy, I see what you're saying. So maybe if I wasn't always a bitch to Annabeth there'd be a chance for an _us_?" She asked me.

I cringed inwardly. This girl wasn't getting the hint that I'm not all that interested in her. I didn't know what else to say except "We'll see Rachel. I'm not promising anything yet. You have to prove that you're gonna be nicer to everyone, not just Annabeth. That includes Grover you know."

She began to pout as soon as I said Grover. "Why him though? He hates me."

"Well that might be because you act like a Drama Queen 24/7 Rachel. And because you need to get along with people I associate myself with if you want to be with me." I responded.

"Ugh," She said. "Fine Percy. But you better remember that I'm only doing this for you. Where's Annabeth? Let me start by apologizing to her."

I looked her in the eyes "She's gone Rachel. She left in a wreck, crying and everything, thanks to you."

She actually looked apologetic after hearing the news. Maybe she could change.

"Oh, well you tell her I'm sorry for the way I've been acting as of late. I want to change, for you." She smiled at me. An actual heart melting smile. This was Rachel as she should be.

Then again I was probably too easily forgiving. I doubt Annabeth would accept her apology so readily. After all, a person can't change in a matter of 5 minutes.

"Will you stay with me today Percy?" She asked me.

"I gotta roll Rachel, I'm sorry. Maybe sometime this week we can hang. You know I won't be busy with the suspension and all." I said shaking my head at the fact that I had lost control.

She sighed. "Alright Percy, I'll talk with you later, possibly tonight if that's cool with you?"

I nodded and said "Sure, I'm most definitely willing to talk with you later."

"Sweet." She smiled at me, pearly whites showing in all their glory.

Surprisingly, I pulled her into a tight hug and rested my chin on her head. She smiled up at me and then we broke apart and she let me go. I exited the coffee shop and pulled out of the parking lot after having successfully started up my truck.

I decided to try calling Annabeth. She let it ring twice before declining my call. _Great, this day was gonna be great_.

 **Annabeth POV**

I received Percy's call on my way to my friend's house. Everything in my being was screaming for me to pick up the phone, to hear him out, to listen to what he had to say, but my brain had other ideas. I declined the call and let out a deep breath I didn't realize I had been holding. Ugh, shit just got more complicated by the minute.

I arrived at her house and knocked on the door. Then the strikingly beautiful Piper McLean answered the door.

 **Author's Note:** Be honest, who actually thought Piper was going to be Annabeth's best friend? I thought they were the perfect match. Wisdom and social skills. The perfect mix. Dynamic duo of the year. Anyways, that's it for this chapter. I know it was short but I wanted it to be intentionally. I need to think of where to go from here so if you have any ideas leave them in the review section. As always thank you guys a ton. Yours truly

- **Simple**


	9. Chapter 7: Truth or Dare

**Chapter 7: Truth or Dare**

 **Author's Note:** Enjoy the chapter, and p.s. It's a lot longer than the last one. Special thanks to my main man FireKeeper, he's the best and helped to co-write this chapter

 **Annabeth POV**

I recapped my story of the last two days to Piper. She was silent the whole way through and only spoke up at the end.

"And your mom said that to you Annabeth?" Piper asked earnestly.

I nodded, looking down at the floor of her carpeted room which we were sitting on. Piper lived with her busy father Tristan McLean who wouldn't be home that night because of work. Tristan, as he liked Annabeth to call him when he was around was an actor, a very successful one mind you, who never seemed to have enough time to spend with Piper. Piper's mom wasn't in the picture. She had left a long while ago, Piper hasn't heard from her since. She tries not to talk about her mom, which is probably for the best.

"I can't believe she'd call you a slut Annabeth!" She cried out, standing up so she had room to pace. Piper tended to do that when things truly set her off. I gave her some space so she had room to vent. She is very protective of me, which I appreciate more than she knows. She also knew that Luke hits me. She feels bad for Luke but at the same time agrees that I should leave him. _You can't save him if I haven't already_ , she'd always say to me.

I responded "I can't either Piper. I thought she loved me but she always goes and does this stupid shit to me."

"Awww, honey, I think she does love you, she just wants you to be with Luke." Piper exclaimed.

"Well, what do you think I should do about Luke?" I asked Piper hopelessly.

"I don't think leaving Luke is an option right now, Annabeth." She told me.

"Yeah, I know… If he wasn't incapacitated then I would dump his ass right away. But because he is I know that if I would I'd look like a total ass." I said.

"No, the real question Annabeth is what are you going to do about Percy?" Piper asked excitedly.

"Did you not hear any of the words that just came out of my mouth?! He basically let Rachel walk all over me. He doesn't care for me Piper, he doesn't care at all…" I stated chin starting to quiver.

"Yes he does honey, you're missing the most important part: the fact that he ran after you to try and right his wrong. If he didn't care he wouldn't have chased you or tried calling you thereafter." She paused. I looked up into her eyes. "I think he's just as crazy about you as you are about him." She said with a hint of a smile.

I looked deep into her eyes as tears began to form in them. "Do you really think so?"

"Annabeth, have you ever known me to steer you wrong?" She asked incredulously.

I smiled faintly, thinking back on some fond memories, "Actually yes I have. There was that one time at that party where you got so wasted you ended up throwing up all over my top and I had to go around the rest of the night without a shirt. In case you didn't remember correctly, I never had wanted to go to that party. The stares I was getting from all the guys there was the most awkward experience I've ever had to go through."

"Okay, fine. There was that one time but still Annabeth, he's into you, it's obvious. I swear, sometimes the smartest people are the most oblivious." She said shaking her head.

"I am not oblivious." I said, stopping to glare at her.

"Yes you are or you would have seen how crazy he is about you by now."

"I don't totally buy that." I responded.

"Whatever Annabeth. If you don't want to take up your chance with Percy then that's your loss. I'm sure Rachel will gladly take a turn with him." Piper stated.

Heat rose to my cheeks as I found myself scowling at her. "Fine, I hope he enjoys keeping shitty company because that's what she is. Shitty company."

Piper said, "He'd rather be with you but if that's what you want then that's cool, I guess."

 _ **-Scene Break-**_

I ate dinner with Piper that night and asked if it was alright if I stayed the night. I really didn't want to go home and face my mother. She said I was welcome here anytime.

An hour into our time together after dinner Piper told me that I needed some cheering up and said that she had the perfect answer.

"Let's have a slumber party!" Piper said.

"No way!" I exclaimed loudly.

"I'm inviting them here whether you like it or not." She stated.

"Ughhhh. Who are you inviting? Tell me that much at least." I said.

"Well for one Reyna because she's a close friend of ours. And then Hazel and Juniper."

I said, "I'm cool with Reyna but not the other two. They're too tight with Percy and I don't want to talk about him tonight."

"Yes you do," She stated. "That's exactly why I already invited all three of them. They should be here any minute." She smiled mischievously.

I looked at her in disbelief, "Wait, are you serious?"

"Yes, I am dead serious." she smirked as the doorbell rang. I followed her to the door and watched as she opened it. The other three girls were standing there, bags in hand. "Hey girls, come on in!" Piper said with glee.

They entered Piper's humble abode and finally noticed my presence.

Reyna came over and hugged me and apologized for what happened to me during the fight.

Reyna said. "Are you okay girl? I know you're tough like me but damn, he slapped the shit out of you."

"Yeah, I'm good. Wasn't as bad as it looked." I said, trying to deflect the conversation off of the topic of Luke publicly abusing me.

"I'm just glad Percy was there. Luke needed someone to put him in his place and Percy did a magnificent job of it." She said.

The other two girls, Hazel and Juniper looked at us after having heard Percy's name.

I stood there awkwardly, waiting for one of them to say anything at all. Thankfully Piper was there to break the ice.

"So ladies, why don't we head up to my room where we can hang out?"

All of us either agreed or nodded in agreement. We headed up the stairs to Piper's massive bedroom. I found myself back with Hazel and Juniper as we made our way up the stairs.

Hazel smiled warmly at me and said "I don't think we've been formally introduced. I'm Hazel and this here is Juniper." The girl named Juniper smiled at me as well. I was already beginning to regret the attempt to exclude these two from the slumber party. They were so kindly and made me feel right at home.

"It's nice to meet you Hazel, Juniper." I smiled back.

We reached the bedroom and all the girls put their stuff down in the corner.

"So what should we do now ladies?" Piper asked cheerfully.

I usually didn't attend sleepovers so I wasn't exactly accustomed to what the norm was as to what you do the entire night.

Juniper volunteered that we watch a movie. Piper said we should have a pillow fight. Not everyone was completely sold on those ideas so Reyna volunteered an idea.

"Why don't we play truth or dare?"

No one was against it so we sat down in a circle.

Juniper was the first to go so she asked Reyna, "Truth or dare?" obviously.

Reyna replied, "Truth."

Juniper asked Reyna, "What was the most awkward situation you have ever been in?"

Reyna responded, "Well, there was this one time when I was six I approached a man from behind who looked exactly like my father. I wrapped my arms around his leg and called up to him 'Pick me up daddy!'. He looked down at me like you wouldn't believe. I still have nightmares about his facial expression to this day." She ended smiling from ear to ear.

"That's the most awkward position you've been in? That's nothing, that pales in comparison to my most awkward situation." Stated Hazel.

Blushing Reyna said, "Well what was yours then?"

Hazel said, "Ah ah ah, that's not how the game works. You have to ask me a truth or dare first."

Reyna decided not to ask Hazel and instead asked Piper truth or dare. Piper responded, "Truth."

Reyna asked her, "Who's your current crush?"

Everyone leaned in because Piper switched guys from month to month and she was known to get anybody she wanted.

"I'm currently into Will Solace." She said smiling cheekily.

Hazel said, "Hold up, didn't you already date him?"

"No," Responded Piper truthfully. "I dated Lee Fletcher if that's who you're thinking of."

"Oh yeah, now I remember." Replied Hazel. "They sort of look alike." 

"I heard he's good with his hands." Offered Reyna. "Probably his lips too."

Piper blushed and Juniper reminded her it was her turn to ask someone truth or dare.

Smiling impishly Piper caught my eye and asked "Truth or dare?"

It took me a second to think over my options. If I picked truth I knew she'd ask me a question about Percy and I wasn't sure I wanted to spill out my feelings about him right then and there. But if I picked dare, nothing would really happen. Percy wasn't there so it's not like she could make me kiss him or something. So I picked the lesser of the two evils.

"Dare." I replied stoutly.

"Alright then," Piper paused for a second to consider her options. She began to smile again. "I dare you to call Percy Jackson."

The ball had been dropped. And the score was Piper 1 Annabeth 0. She had gotten me again. The room grew quiet as they awaited my response.

"Do I have to?" I asked Piper.

They all responded in unison, "YES!"

"Jeez, alright then, I'll do it."

They all began cheering and high fiving each other. I got up to retrieve my phone. I found it lying on Piper's bed. I sat back down in my spot within the circle. I unlocked my phone and found Percy's contact. I took a deep breath as my finger hovered over the button.

Piper said "And you have to keep him on speakerphone."

"Ugh, alright." I said.

I tapped his number and it began to dial Percy. I tapped the speakerphone button and it changed the audio output.

He picked up after two rings.

"Hey," He said. "I'm glad you called, I really wanted to talk with you."

Piper was already hugging Reyna and mouthing _O-M-G_ after having heard that Percy wanted to talk with me. Personally, I didn't know what to think. For all I knew he was just trying to redeem himself for being an epic idiot.

"Yeah, I bet." I responded into the phone.

"Look Annabeth, I know I screwed up. I shouldn't have let her say those things but I'm sincerely sorry. I usually screw things like these up. I suck at relationships but I don't want to mess this one up." He said back.

I didn't know how he could suck at relationships with looks like those but go figure. I hadn't totally forgiven him so I said, "What relationship are you even talking about?"

Piper looked at me like she was ready to strangle the life out of me. I guess in her mind, playing stupid right now wasn't the best move.

"This one." He said. "There's something happening between us Annabeth and I don't want to lose it. Couldn't you feel it when we touched, the connection?" He asked me.

I didn't know how to respond. I wanted to say yes so badly but I replied with, "No, no I didn't. I think you forget that I have a boyfriend Percy."

He grew quiet but finally spoke up and said, "It's there Annabeth, I know you feel it too. And I get that you have a boyfriend but he's giving you a raw deal. Any guy who truly cared about you wouldn't have hit you like that. I know I wouldn't have."

The girls couldn't contain themselves any longer and started whispering "Ooooo!"

Reyna said "He likes you girl, go get him!"

Somehow, I don't think Percy heard them so he continued, "I don't know why you're with Luke Annabeth but I care about you. I want you to not only happy but safe too, preferably in my arms." He laughed lightly into the phone.

I began to blush and all the girls in the room were going literally crazy trying to hold back their emotions.

"Annabeth, you've grown quiet." He said. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking your crazy," I said smiling for the first time. "But it's a good kind of crazy."

He laughed and said "Well I'm glad you think so."

I could tell I was already falling for his laugh. Just one more thing I could add to the list of _Things I Dig About Percy Jackson_.

"I think we should hang out tonight," He said. "I want to spend sometime with you." 

I looked over at Piper and she nodded like crazy and mouthed _invite him here_. I nodded and said to Percy, "I'm at Piper's right now but if you want to come here and chill then that's cool. Just be warned that there are a lot of girls here."

"As long as my girl's there I wouldn't even notice them." He replied.

I found myself blushing for the second time in this conversation. The girls all said out loud "Awww!"

Percy unsurprisingly heard this time and said, "So I'm on speaker then?"

I responded, "Yeahhhhh."

He laughed, "It's cool. You mind if I bring a few friends a along so we can have a real party?" I conferred with Piper and she agreed and said we could host a party.

"Sweet," He said. "I'll be there in 45."

We hung up and the girls went nuts again.

"He's crazy about you Annabeth!" Screamed Piper. "I'm so glad I had you call him!" She said smiling wickedly.

After they had calmed down and were done discussing _Percabeth_ as they had already begun to refer to Percy and I as, I went to the bathroom and checked how I looked while the other girls went downstairs to prepare everything for the party. Tonight, I'd be with Percy and I wanted everything to be perfect. And it would be, I just knew it.


	10. Chapter 8: The Party

**Chapter 8: The Party**

 **Author's Note:** Hey, how are you guys today? I hope you all have had a fantastic week. I'd like to begin by explaining that there's been a titanic mental block preventing me from writing. I wasn't sure where to go with this from last chapter but I finally broke through it and here we are. I hope you all enjoy and as always, if you did please review. A special thanks to _**SysticSnowa**_ for helping me get past my case of writer's block. Go check out her story. Btw, we just broke 4,000 views and I couldn't be happier :)

 **Percy POV**

After the phone call, I hit up some of my other friends, those including Frank, Grover, Lee, Nico and Will. I shot them the text:

 **Percy:** _Hey guys, there's a party at Piper's place. I suggest you come, it's going to be lit! :)_

Will Solace was the first to respond.

 **Will:** _Will Piper be there?_

Lee was quick to jump on his case.

 **Lee:** _No dipshit, its her house but she can't make it. Of course she'll be there! Sorry Percy, don't know if I'll want to come to that one. We just broke up so…_

 **Frank:** _How about Hazel? Is she going to be there?_

 **Nico:** _Yeah, what about Hazel?_

 **Percy:** _Yeah, she's already there. As is Juniper and Reyna._

 **Lee:** _On second thought, sign me up! Dude Reyna is like, so hot._

I laughed audibly at Lee's immaturity.

 **Percy:** _Anyone need to carpool? You all know I can pick you up. I have two other seats in my truck._

 **Grover:** _Yeah, I'll come but I'll need a ride. Juniper already told me the details. She said that the majority of the school has been invited._

 **Frank:** _I heard the same from Hazel. Can you pick me up too Percy?_

 **Will:** _Damn, Piper must have a huge place to host a banger like this._

 **Percy:** _I'll pick you both up on my way there._

I powered off my phone, put it down on my bed and got dressed, preparing for the party. I snuck out of my room and past my mother's room, hoping I was quiet enough that I didn't wake her. I was after all still grounded and she really didn't want me going anywhere. I made it to the door and made it out without incident. Hopping into my truck and I breathed a sigh of relief. Tonight was going to be special, I just knew it.

 _ **-20 minutes later-**_

I pulled up into Piper's driveway with Frank and Grover in the truck. I got out of the driver's side and could hear the music through the house's walls. Grover and Frank got out of the truck and began to gawk at the magnificence which was Piper's house. It was gigantic, raised at least three levels off the ground. The driveway, made up of pristine brick, curved up to the pinnacle of the hilltop that the building stood on. The McLean's owned a four car garage that was as immaculate as the rest of their home. A golden water fountain stood in front of the porch, making for a beautiful sight.

I looked over and saw that Frank's jaw had dropped and Grover was just as awestruck.

"Is that real gold?" Frank asked, more out of wonder than anything.

"I bet," I stated. I looked over at the other two who hadn't made a move to enter the house. "So are we going to go in or what?"

They both nodded in agreement and Frank closed his mouth.

We made our way up the steps to the porch and found that the door was unlocked, as I had suspected.

The entry hall was crowded with teenagers either drinking from their red solo cups or talking amongst their little cliques. I figured Annabeth would be near the center of the party so I made my way down the hallway and into the dining room, abandoning Frank and Grover to their own devices.

I was quick to spot Annabeth amongst the crowd in their enormous dining hall. I saw her standing there talking with a few of her friends, laughing lightly while scanning the room for something, no, someone. We locked eyes and I grinned like you wouldn't believe. She smiled back and excused herself and made her way towards me. I did likewise but on the way there someone ran into me, drink in hand. It splashed all over my front and my face instantly turned beet red.

The guy had napkins in hand and was doing his best to dry my shirt while apologizing furiously.

"I'm so sorry bro, I didn't see you and then you were RIGHT THERE and I stupidly ran directly into you. It's my fault, here let me help you dry off."

He dabbed at my shirt awkwardly and eventually just handed me the napkins. I looked at his face to find he had imp-like features and a nest of curly brown locks. He smiled uneasily at me, unsure of what to say or do.

"It's alright man," I finally said "Just watch where you're going."

"Yeah, no problem dude. Like I said, my bad. I didn't see you there and then…"

I cut him off "Like I said we're cool. What's your name? I haven't seen you around Goode before."

"Leo. Leo Valdez at your service." He humbly bowed to me. At this point I was sure he was either drunk, or the biggest fruitcake to ever grace this planet. He stood back up. "I just transferred to Goode this week. I did manage to see that dope ass fight though. You the man!" He stated smiling wickedly.

"Alright Leo," I said skirting around him "I'll catch up with you later."

Still smiling he said, "Sweet, just let me know when, because we both know the ladies are going to want a piece of Mr. Valdez over here. I'll try to fit you into my busy schedule." He winked at me and then walked away.

I smiled at his antics and kept walking towards Annabeth, who was doing her best to contain her laughter over the whole affair.

Still smiling I put myself in her shoes, knowing I probably would have been doing the same.

"Hey." I said trying to break the ice like a loser.

She responded with, "Hey."

I started by apologizing, "I want you to know how sorry I am Annabeth, I didn't want for any of that to happen…"

She stepped in closer and put her finger to my lips and said, "Shhh, it's over now and I'm over it. Let's just dwell in the present."

She had barely touched me and my hormones were already pumping. This girl made me a mess. Smiling at her I said "Alright, we can definitely do that."

Then she said something unexpected. "Come with me, I want to show you something."

She took my hand and began to lead me back the way I had come in. Her touch was tantalizing, I couldn't get enough. We got to the steps and she smiled back at me, now leading me up the stairwell.

Where was she taking me? The majority of the party was downstairs and there's no way her mind was where mine was so what was she planning to have us do?

We reached a door and she opened the room and pulled me by the hand into it. She shut the door behind us and at this point, I was sure I knew what was happening. I took in the surrounding room. The walls were littered with posters of different boy bands and were painted pink. Piper's room I figured.

Then she surprised me again by walking past me over to her bags. I figured to grab a condom because I had none but she pulled out a small box. Why in the hell did she store her condoms in a jewelry box? Then it hit me. We weren't here to do what I had been thinking this entire time. I mentally facepalmed myself as my stupidity rushed over me in waves.

She sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to her, motioning for me to take a seat next to her. I sat down and watched as she opened the box. She pulled out a beautifully ornate silver necklace, with a locket chained to it. I didn't know what significance it had to her but she stared at it adoringly. I watched her as a smile displayed itself across her beautiful features.

"This was given to me by my dad when I was six years old." She started. You could hear the emotion in her voice when she continued, "He gave it to me the year I went away to summer camp. Mom and Dad had been fighting then and he didn't want me to witness that as a child so off I went. Before he left he told me that everything would be alright. That he and mom would sort out their differences. He gave me this necklace as a way to remember him when I missed him. To show that he cared…" She trailed off.

Annabeth's stormy gray eyes gazed up into mine. "Will you put it on me?"

"Gladly." I smiled.

I took the necklace from her hands and we interlocked fingers for a second. Taking the necklace I undid the clasp and let her turn to look away from me. I lowered the locket below her chin and gently redid the clasp. She fingered the locket fondly and turned back to face me.

"I wanted you to know something more about me," She said. "Before things go any further." Annabeth paused and looked deeply into my eyes. I held her gaze. My eyes locked onto her lips and noticed that she did the same to mine. Scooting closer to Annabeth I began to lean slowly in, while she did likewise. We both turned our heads a little to the right and closed our eyes. Subsequently, a second later her lips crashed into mine and I felt the softness of her skin against my own. Annabeth kissed me passionately and deeply, like she needed this. I didn't vie for access to her mouth. It was just a nice, love-endowed kiss. I could lightly taste lemon on her lips. It was quite pleasing.

After a few moments we broke apart and I rested my forehead against hers. I smiled for about the one thousandth time tonight.

"That," I said pausing for effect, "Was amazing." I laughed lightly at my comment. She smiled and we held hands. I looked over at the door and noticed that it was ajar. If I remembered correctly hadn't she shut that? I brushed it off and stared back at Annabeth.

"What are we?" I asked her, unsure as to the answer I might receive.

"I'm not entirely sure Percy." She replied. "If we're going by technicalities then I'm still with Luke but the feelings I have for you are stronger than anything I've ever felt…"

I gently turned her face so I could stare back into her beautiful eyes. "Well what would you like to go by Annabeth?"

She pushed me playfully onto the bed and straddled my waist and leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Well what do you think Seaweed Brain?" And then she was off of me in a split second, feet flat on the ground walking towards the door. Annabeth looked back over her shoulder with a mischievous grin and called, "Well are you coming Percy?"

Damn, this girl was making my hormones a rage. I got off the bed and followed her to the door. We walked out and into the hallway. Looking to my right I noticed Lee was making out with Reyna. Typical Lee. He almost always got what he wanted and right now he wanted Reyna. As captain of the Varsity Basketball team his name carried weight around our school. After having lead us to the State Championship for the third time in a row, it was no wonder.

I followed Annabeth down the stairs and we ran into a group of my friends chatting amongst themselves.

Hazel was standing awkwardly next to Frank. There was a tension between those two, I just couldn't tell you why. Something must have happened tonight. I made a note to myself to ask Hazel or Frank about it later.

Then there was Nico, Thalia, Grover and Juniper among the group as well.

We joined in to their little circle and began listening to their conversation.

"I swear I saw them, I didn't realize they had been invited." Said Grover angrily.

"They weren't invited." Thalia said. Thalia stood their next to Nico in her usual attire, black. She had black spiky hair and a black leather jacket with black jeans. Her eyes were a crystal blue. She was intimidating and yet highly attractive to most guys. She was close friends with Annabeth but from what I've heard, Piper isn't exactly a Thalia fan.

Thalia continued, "Obviously they just showed up."

Annabeth finally cut in. "Who are you guys talking about?"

Grover seemed to notice me for the first time and was hesitant to respond. "Uhhh no one in particular, just some people."

Quick to tell us the truth was Hazel. "We're talking about Chris Rodriguez and Ethan Nakamura."

Grover began to blush furiously, even though it was hard to tell in the light.

Annabeth's face became impassive and everyone began to look at me, waiting for a reaction.

I gave none and broke the silence by saying, "So they're here, so what? It's a party for God's sake! Let them have some fun, so long as they don't bother me."

"Here here." said Frank raising cup in my name.

Annabeth turned around and grabbed my hand and said in my ear, "Let's go dance!"

I had no problems with it so we said goodbye to everyone and made our way to the dance room, which happened to be in the basement. Currently the song _Tell Me You Love Me_ _by_ _Demi Lovato_ was playing.

Michael Yew was the DJ. He DJed on the side and made a decent sum of money, at least from what I've heard.

Annabeth brought me over to Michael's table and stood in front of him until she caught his attention. He took one of his headphone earmuffs off so he could hear her.

Calling over the music Annabeth said "Hey Michael, I'm here to call in that favor. Can you play us a slow song?"

Michael looked over at me and then nodded in agreement. Annabeth then took me by the hand and led me to the middle of the dance floor.

A few seconds later Michael was talking into his microphone.

"Alright y'all. It's finally that time. If you're not here with your lover then clear out because coming at you is our first slow song of the night. If you're here with your lover get on the dance floor because here comes _You and Me_ _by_ _LifeHouse_ , one of the best slow songs ever to be released."

Annabeth smiled up at me and I took hold of her waist while she wrapped her arms around my neck.

The song started as it always does:

 _ **You and Me**_ _by_ _ **Lifehouse**_

 **Verse 1:**

What day is it? And in what month?  
This clock never seemed so alive  
I can't keep up and I can't back down  
I've been losing so much time 

Annabeth came closer and whispered in my ear, "I want you to know Luke never did anything like this with me. We only ever grinded. He told me he wasn't about dancing."

I whispered back into her ear "Anything for you Wise Girl."

She pulled back and gave me a funny look. "Wise Girl?" She asked.

The song continued to play:

 **Chorus:**

'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do  
Nothing to lose  
And it's you and me and all other people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you

"Yeah," I said. "You're my Wise Girl. You're ten times as smart as anyone I know and we both already know you're going places, either with your voice or that intelligence. Hell, you might even become a model."

She blushed fiercely and beamed at me. "You definitely are my Seaweed Brain. No one gets crazier ideas than you do."

I returned her smile holding her close to me.

 **Verse 2:**

All of the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right  
I'm tripping on words  
You've got my head spinning  
I don't know where to go from here 

**Chorus:**

'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do  
Nothing to prove  
And it's you and me and all other people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you

 **Bridge:**

There's something about you now  
I can't quite figure out  
Everything she does is beautiful  
Everything she does is right

Listening to the bridge my mind was stuck on Annabeth, rightly so. She's beautiful, in everything she does and I'm yet to see her do something wrong. Annabeth was perfect and in that moment, I held onto her like a lifeline, hoping I wouldn't drift away from her.

 **Chorus:**  
'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do  
Nothing to lose  
And it's you and me and all other people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you  
And me and all other people with nothing to do  
Nothing to prove  
And it's you and me and all other people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you

As the song neared it's close Annabeth pulled back a bit from our embrace and stared up into my eyes. She moved her one hand to my cheek and looked fondly at me. She leaned in and kissed me with the same passion as before. The kiss was deep and lasted a good 30 seconds. We broke apart and my boyish grin plastered my face.

She laughed at my expression and said "Are you going to react like that every time I kiss you?"

I replied, "Most likely. I guess you just have that effect on me." 

Beaming she said "I could get used to it."

The song finished up with the outro:

 **Outro:**

What day is it? And in what month?  
This clock never seemed so alive

Upon the closing of the song a few people began to clap and others hooted and some even whistled. 

Annabeth led me from the dance floor and up the stairs. She said, "Let's go for a walk. I want to show you something."

Not seeing why not I followed her out the door of Piper's house. We made our way down to the sidewalk and began to walk into the dark, cloudy night.

 **-** _ **Scene Break**_ **-**

We made it to a crosswalk. Annabeth, walking a little ahead of me, began to traverse the street at the crossroads of this luxurious neighborhood.

I called out to her, "We there yet? Where exactly are you taking me Annabeth?"

She spun around and I could faintly make out her smile in the harsh limelight.

"We're almost there Seaweed Brain. Someone's impatient." She chuckled to herself.

The road was lightly light by a few streetlights. The trees cast shadows all over the place and made it hard to see distinct shapes.

To our left a car careened around a turn in the road, making its way towards us at a breakneck speed.

Annabeth wasn't paying very close attention and didn't see the car.

The car closed the distance quickly, in a matter of seconds and yet Annabeth was still oblivious. So I ran to catch up to her and pushed her out of the way onto the ground.

I heard her cry out from impact with the ground. Sadly, I hadn't thought to get out of the way too, I was solely focused on saving Annabeth.

The car's headlights were on me and I turned to face my incoming doom. I heard the squeal of tires screeching on pavement and then everything went black.

 **Author's Note:** So, what did y'all think? I think this was by far my best chapter yet and I'm hoping to continue this story in a positive direction. Let me know what you liked/disliked in the review section about the ending, or, perhaps how Percy and Annabeth got together. Did you think I rushed it? Are you madly in love with Percabeth? I truly appreciate the feedback. As always this has been **Simple** and I'll see y'all next time.


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